Yeah, this is really one long, short story.....gotta love the oxymoron of that last statement.
Unlike my other stories, this one is completed and will be updated soon.
THE HANDSOME JEWISH YOUNG MAN
BY MADDY A. DANTE
PART TWO:WHAT DID I SAY?
That day we didn't talk much. I am not really a shy kind of guy, but around Victor I was. I knew that he had to be around sixteen or seventeen because he couldn't work down at the site either, but I would have guessed him to be more like eighteen or nineteen. He didn't really look older than me he just carried himself in a way that made me think that. I tried to spark up a conversation with him, but I could tell that we didn't have that much in common. It was obvious to me that he was a hip hop kind of guy where as I on the other hand was more of an alt rocker. After an hour of near silence I took the chance and tried to start a conversation with him.
"So how did you wind up working here for the summer? Do you want to do construction for a living?" I asked him. He glanced at me sideways and looked at me curiously.
"No, why do you think that I would want to work in construction for the rest of my life?" He asked. His voice was calm and controlled, but I could hear the curiosity in his voice.
"Well your from Newark so what else would you want to do." I replied. I didn't think that there was anything wrong with what I said. It was true, what else would he want to do? Living in that town I doubted he had big ambitions for himself so construction work seemed to be appropriate. He on the other hand seemed to be offended by my comment. He walked over to me and put his face close to mine. I could smell the winter fresh gum on his breath and the strong smell of freshly washed clothes lingered on his body. Thank god for self control because I had to muster every once of it not to react with his body so close to mine. Up that close, I could see that the corners of his eyes slinked up into the shapes of little almonds. His dark tea eyes glittered as he glared at me and for a moment I was lost.
"What does me being from here have anything to do with what I want to do with my life?" He asked. If looks could have killed I wouldn't have died, but I would have been seriously injured. I was a little taken back by his outburst. I could see him trying to hold his anger in and I didn't want to see how he would act once he let it out.
"Nothing dude, I was just wondering that's all." I said. He walked back over to the filing cabinet where he was filing and answered me without turning to face me.
"And for the record I want to work with kids. I'm a volunteer just like you and I am sure that you don't want to make a career in construction, not that there is anything wrong with that, but its not for me." He said. He sounded a little hurt and I didn't know what the big deal was.
"Kids? Like at a day care?" I asked and he shot me another death glare that I was becoming all too familiar with. `What was I saying that was pissing him off?' I wondered to myself. He just shook his head left to right and turned his back to me again.
"No, like in social work. You know...people who help other people. I want to help kids." I could hear the sarcasm in his voice with the way that he spoke. He was beginning to piss me off with how he was talking down to me. The conversation ended and we were able to leave three hours later. Apparently those state laws that I was going to look into said that we couldn't work more than four hours a day since we were both under eighteen, even though it was just volunteer work. So, we got to leave at twelve while the other workers glared at us. At least the rain had stopped and the fresh smell of the rain still lingered in the air relaxing me.
`Well, that day went just like I thought it would.' I thought to myself on the bus ride home. At least he didn't kill me. Usually I am attracted to the big, blonde and preppy football jock type of guys, but Victor was something all together different. He was this incredibly hot black guy. I had never felt an attraction to black guys before, but I guess that was because I had never been around them before. My town is pretty much all white, so hanging around with black people was something that I didn't do, although I did think that Usher was kind of cute. Victor wasn't very muscular in fact he was kind of skinny to be so tall, but he wasn't wiry, just lean. He wasn't preppy like Greg Levine, my crush for the past two years. He was the complete opposite of what I normally found attractive and you know what...that is what made him more attractive. I made a vow to myself that the next day of work, I would make an attempt to get to know him better. I hoped that this time I wouldn't piss him off. I was still pissed that my Mom neglected to tell me that I would be working for free and I let her know it as soon as she got home that night. We didn't really sit at the table to eat dinner except for when we had company, so I let her have it while her and Dad were eating dinner the living room. I stood in the doorway for a few minutes, waiting for them to notice the look on my face. When they didn't, I started in.
"Mom why in the hell didn't you tell me that I would be working for free!?" I demanded and my father glared at me.
"A! Watch your God damn mouth! Don't talk to your mother like that." He yelled at me. I loved my Dad and for the most part we got along great, but I hated it when he would tell me to watch my mouth. Shit, where the hell did he think I learned all the words that I said from?
"Sorry, but Mom why didn't you tell me I wouldn't be making any money?" I repeated trying to sound nicer. She smiled at me and handed me an orange from the fruit bowl on the coffee table. "Because if I did, you wouldn't have went. And don't think I'm going to let you quit. I had to practically beg for Vince to let you work for him. It's about time you learn that your father and I aren't going to give you every thing you want. You're keeping the job or its off to Fort Dicks. Your choice not mine. " She said. I would have quit if it wasn't for Victor . I knew that nothing would ever happen between us, but that didn't mean I didn't want us to be friends. Besides filing paper's for the summer was a lot better then doing push ups at the military academy in Fort Dicks.
"Did I say I wanted to quit?" I asked her sarcastically. Okay, so maybe I was a little bratty, but shit! My little sister acted worse than I did and they never gave HER any problems.
"A! I told you to watch what you say. That's your problem now you talk so God damn smart! You better watch how you talk around the guys at the work site because I doubt they would take any of that shit that you like to deal out." He yelled. He was probably right, but I wouldn't let him know that anytime soon. For the most part my Dad was cool, but I he had to ALWAYS be right.
"Yeah, how did you get along with the other guys?" Mom asked.
"I only really met one guy and he was okay, he was black, but mostly everybody there was black or Spanish. A couple guys were white though." I replied, not really looking at them. My parents looked at me like I had lost my mind.
"Is that a problem for you?" They asked at the same time. `Freaky' I thought.
"Not really I just didn't think that I would be spending the summer with all those people, but I guess it's okay." I replied as I peeled an orange. They looked at me horrified.
"Those people." My dad repeated. "Son, I hope you learn a few thing this summer about life." He said before turning his attention back to the television.
"Tolerance being of them." My Mom added before following my Dad's lead and watching some stupid game show. I stood there for a moment lost as to why my parents seemed so angry with me. I didn't know what I had said to make them act like that, but I knew that the problem had to be with them, not me.
I went in my room and thought about what they said. What did they mean I needed to learn how to be tolerant? I was already. I didn't judge people ...did I? Was it possible that I was ignorant when it came to learning things about other people? No, they were wrong. They had to be...right?...
To Be Continued.....
Join my yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MaddyA_Stories Others Stories By Me "Around My Way" last updated 3/1/05 (High School and Interracial) "I Hate Anthony" last updated 2/10/05 (High School and Interracial) Copyright 2005